


Awake

by BuckytheDucky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Other, Violence, apparent major character death, heed the notes please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 15:51:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8850934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckytheDucky/pseuds/BuckytheDucky
Summary: The Soldier is sent on one last mission with the largest task assigned at once: Kill all the Avengers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please, _please_ heed the warnings. If you'd like to see what actually happens, read the bottom Notes please.

The Soldier makes his way quietly through the dark corridors. His footsteps are silent, even as they fall on marble, and his breathing is steady, unrushed. He holds his pistol in front of him as his gaze flicks over his surroundings. No one is in sight; he knows his handlers have taken care of the system that oversees the building, shut it down so that he can go undetected in executing his mission. He shouldn't _feel_ anything, but he does, he feels gratitude toward them for granting him one less variable. Pale light spills into the hallway through glass walls, and his fingers are swift as they input the code into the electronic lock - a code he doesn't remembering knowing, but a code that works nonetheless. The doors slide open with a soft hiss, and he scans the area beyond the door before stepping inside.

  
Mechanical whirs and beeps meet his ears, and the Soldier spins, aims the gun at an approaching... _thing_ , and he barely manages to stop himself from squeezing the trigger prematurely. The one-armed robot isn't his target, he is to leave it unless necessary. He steps around the bot only to find another, and a third, right behind it. None of them make any move, merely stay still as he assesses them. When he steps around them, they pivot but don't come closer. He holsters his pistol, drawing his favoured knife from its sheath and striding toward the dark-haired man sleeping slumped over the metal worktable. His target doesn't wake, just snores on as if his demise isn't standing a mere two feet away. A metal claw clamps around the Soldier’s wrist as he raises the knife. With a low growl, the Soldier wraps his metal arm around the robot’s frame, twisting and jerking until it crumples like paper under the pressure. Its companions stay back, let out loud beeping as they watch the first robot cease existing. He turns back to his target and slides the blade under his throat. The Soldier doesn't even flinch as the man’s blood pours from his neck; he wipes his hand on an oily rag sitting beside the man’s head and heads for the door.

  
“Target one eliminated,” the Soldier croaks quietly, his lips twisting when he gets the approval from his handler through the comms.

  
He doesn't think further on the corpse he's leaving behind as he makes his way up the stairs to the next target. This one is asleep in a bed, his face pressed into the pillow beneath his head. His curly hair is dark, interspersed with grey, and the Soldier fleetingly wonders what his life has been like to cause those lines by his eyes. Shaking his head to dislodge the thoughts, the Soldier pulls the syringe from his pocket and stabs it into the man’s jugular. The tranquilliser is strong enough to knock out five elephants, or so his handler assured him, and though he has no idea why such a strong sedative is needed, he doesn't question it. Once he's sure the man is at no risk of waking, the Soldier eases him onto his back, stabs the knife through the man’s chest, and twists; he repeats the process until no pulse is detected, then a few more times just to be certain. He pushes the dead man back onto his side, pulling the blankets up over his shoulders, and slips out of the room like a shadow. After confirming the second termination, he continues.

  
The third target is also sleeping in his bed, but he isn't alone. The Soldier pauses to consider the best plan of attack. He doesn't want to kill the woman, but then again, he shouldn't be wanting anything, and the mission parameters specified there are to be no witnesses. So he fits a silencer onto his handgun, aims carefully, and squeezes the trigger twice in quick succession. Between one breath and the next, both the dark-skinned man and the woman are dead.

  
The Soldier doesn't bother confirming again, knows his handlers don't need the assurance of his abilities. This is why he was chosen - he is the best at preserving peace, and the targets are the biggest threats to that peace.

  
The sound of feet on hardwood floor give him pause; he stops right outside the door, off to the side, so the person in the gymnasium won't see him. He peers around the corner and sees a flash of bright red hair in flight, swinging from one tall pillar to another, body twisting in midair. She lands on the floor gracefully and straightens to her full height, her pale skin glistening in the lights overhead. Suddenly, she pivots on her heel and flings a knife in his direction. He just barely manages to pull his head out of the way, watches as the blade flies past where his head just was and sinks into the wall. His body is forced to the ground by an unexpected weight, and he grunts as he hits the floor. The woman is glaring down at him with icy green eyes, another knife pressed dangerously close to his throat.

  
“Стоп.”

  
The Soldier swallows thickly but stays completely still until she pulls the knife away. As soon as she shifts just enough, he grips her thigh with his metal arm and shoves her off of him; she is silent as she hits the wall with a sickening thud. Blood seeks from a wound on her temple, even as she rises to her feet. He grits his teeth when she steps closer, swaying unsteadily.

  
“Джеймс, стоп.”

  
The soldier yanks the knife from the wall and throws it at her head. She dives out of the way, rolling to her feet immediately and lunging at him. Her thighs are tight around his throat, fists slamming into the top of his head, slim fingers tugging on his hair. He runs toward the wall, and she can't stop the shout of pain as she collides with the metal. He steps back, then does it again, then throws her to the floor. Before she can react, his heavy boot slams down onto her chest; she screams as her ribs break beneath his foot. He pushes down harder until he hears the audible sound of the bones shifting, piercing her lungs. Blood bubbles and spills out from between her lips, and she chokes on the crimson liquid filling her throat. With one last stomp on her ribcage, the Soldier leaves her body to cool in the corridor as he makes his way to his next target.

  
The large blond is sitting on the patio, eyes turned toward the sky, so shoving the knife into his neck is simply too easy for the Soldier. For good measure, he yanks the blade forward, destroying the target's throat. The demigod collapses to the ground with a gurgle before going motionless, eyes still open. The Soldier doesn't bother stepping around the pool of blood spreading across the bricks, as he heads inside for the final two targets.

  
Luck is on his side, for one of his soon-to-be victims is standing in the kitchen just inside. He turns at the sound of the Soldier’s footsteps, and his smile freezes then fades into an expression of pure horror. He doesn't get the chance to say anything, before the Soldier has already aimed his pistol at the man’s forehead and squeezed the trigger. The man’s blue eyes are wide as he hits the ground; and the Soldier struggles to ignore the feeling of something not being right, that killing this man was the worst thing possible. He gasps against the sudden pain in his head as images flood into his brain. He slaps his temple with his flesh hand in order to stop the onslaught. Finally, shaking and feeling queasy, he leaves the body where it is, heads toward the final destination.

  
The room is dark, and light snores echo through the silence. The Soldier pads closer, his boots leaving bloody footprints in the carpet as he steps. A tuft of sandy-blond hair pokes up from under the blankets; the Soldier slowly pulls the comforter down away from the man’s face, and the agony in his head elevates. He knows killing the man will help - he doesn't know how he knows - but it's a certainty he's aware of. He steps back, raises his pistol, and gets the man in his sight. A sharp pain zips up his metal arm as he hesitates, but he can't follow through, not until he knows why it's so hard to keep his pistol aimed at this man. He shifts his grip on the gun, mind in overdrive as he searches for anything to explain what's happening.

  
His handler spits out a command through the comms, and the Soldier takes a steadying breath. The man in the bed wakes with a start, eyes darting around to take stock of his surroundings. When he catches sight of the Soldier, he sits up slowly, hands raised to show no weapons.

  
“Hey, why don't you just put that down? Okay? There's no need for it, and - are you covered in blood? What have you done, Bucky?”

  
“Who the Hell is Bucky?”

  
“It's okay, man, I promise. Just...put the gun down, and we can talk about this.”

  
“Shut up.”

  
“C’mon, Buck -”

  
“I said _shut up_!” screams the Soldier, even as the pain gets harder to ignore.

  
“Okay, okay, I'll shut up. It's okay. I understand why you're doing this, I do. And, well, I guess I accept it. But, Bucky, please, just listen to me. Okay? I don't want to die, but if you are going to kill me, then just remember I love you, all right? I love you.”

.........

  
Bucky jerks awake with a silent, sharp inhale. His heart hammers in his chest as he fights to control his breathing, as he struggles to keep his tears at bay. He hasn't had a dream like that in a very long time, so now that it's made a reappearance is, quite frankly, terrifying. He forces himself to take a deep breath and then looks around the room.

  
Pale sunlight is streaming through the windows, and clothes litter the floor - exactly as they were dropped the night before. The air smells like shower-wash, laundry detergent, cologne, and faintly like sex. The bed beneath him is soft, warm, real, and his chest is bared, the comforter draped over his waist. He rolls onto his side and allows a smile to spread across his face.

  
Clint is still asleep with his face smashed into the pillow. Pink lines crease across his cheeks from the pressure; his hair sticks up in adorably mussed spikes, and his face is loose with sleep. The ball-chain around his neck is slightly twisted, but the silver ring glints in the morning light. Bucky pulls Clint closer into his side, burying his face into the other man’s neck, and breathes in the scent that makes him feel safe and loved no matter what happens. Bucky allows a couple of tears to slide down his cheeks as he remembers his dream, the determination to kill his family, the fact he was still under HYDRA’s control; he presses a tender kiss to Clint’s throat and shifts even nearer. The sound of his husband’s steady breathing and the feel of his heartbeat under hand lulls Bucky into sleep once more. 

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings:  
> \- graphic description of violence and murder  
> \- major character "death": The Soldier is sent to kill the Avengers, and he does, except not really - it was just a nightmare. Nobody actually dies.
> 
> Стоп - Stop  
> Джеймс, стоп - James, stop.


End file.
